The NFL Should Never Give London A Super Bowl | Opinion

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan calls London the "sporting capital of the world." He says if he's re-elected next Thursday, he will push for the city to host the Super Bowl, WrestleMania, the NBA, and the Olympics next.

Olympics? Fine. The event rotates from country to country, anyway. Though, they just had the 2012 Games so it might be a bit soon for that. 

WrestleMania? London is already home to All Elite Wrestling's flagship All In event. So, why not book an upcoming WrestleMania live from a London soccer stadium as well?

The NBA? Cool. Scheduling a few games per year in London is par for the international expansion course.

But the Super Bowl? That's where we draw the line.

No annual event exemplifies American culture more than the Super Bowl. NFL football is American culture. The Super Bowl is one of the rare experiences that still unite Americans, regardless of their political affiliation.

The Super Bowl should never be played outside the U.S – no matter how much cash a foreign nation offers the NFL.

What's more, a London Super Bowl would ruin the tradition by virtue of the time zone difference.

The Super Bowl starts at 6:30 ET, no matter where it's located. London is five hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone.

The league would have to adjust the start time to fit London's time zone, to the great chagrin of American viewers. The NFL is not scheduling the Super Bowl for 11:30 pm local time.

A Super Bowl at 6:30 Greenwich Mean Time (the time zone London falls under) would mean a 1:30 pm ET and 10:30 am PT start time. That'd be no bueno.

Much of the charm that surrounds Super Bowl Sunday includes the festivities, the parties, and the gatherings. As much as Americans love beer, wings, and pizza – it doesn't sit as well during the early hours of the day.

The latest the NFL could – presumably – push back a London-based Super Bowl is 8:30 pm local time.

While better for those in the Eastern Time Zone, a 12:30 pm start time would still serve as a great inconvenience for those out West.

So, the question is: will the NFL consider Khan's proposal?

Unfortunately, the NFL already has.

In October, ESPN insider Adam Schefter said while a Super Bowl in London is not imminent, "NFL has at least pondered the possibility of it."

"I think that is not out of the question," Goodell said about a London Super Bowl. "But at the end of the day, I think right now our formula will stay the same about playing [Super Bowls] in cities that have franchises."

Commissioner Roger Goodell added that a London Super Bowl is "not out of the question."

Translation: it will happen, eventually – when the money is right.

We did not fight the Revolutionary War to hand the Super Bowl to the Brits.